Bro Jevis & Gonio keepers, here an abstract from the first edition of reef notes by Julian Sprung on keeping Goniopora.. not meant to be a discouraging statement.. Another pt to note is that this is the 1990 edition and may be outdated as technology in reef equipment had advance at such speed and previously unkeepable species had now strive under captive conditions..
Please don't quote me on anything below as i merely abstract them from the paragraph and something for you guys to think about. Hopefully there will be success in keeping these species...Here the abstract"
"Success with Goniopora had improved over the years but it is still a mysteriously difficult coral. I now believe that trace elements do play an important role in the problem. Also, lighting seems to be another factor, but general statements cannot be made since different species have different requirements. There is also speculation about the importance of amino acids in nutrition"
"When attempting to keep Goniopora there are some additional parameters that should be maintained to achieve best success. Temperature is critical for hard corals; Goniopora likes water currents and should be bathed by a good turbulent flow. Wave surge would be a plus too. Finally, lighting is key to success. Goniopora is a misleading coral because it respond positively to most lighting initially, even to metal halide lights which ultimately burn back its tentacles"
"Goniopora usually grows in large monospecific stands, and the specimens we recieve are often hacked off of a columnar based and therefore be injured. ore importantly, considering their typical isolation in nature, this genus may be sensitive to slime exuded by other coral species. It may be a problem of Goniopora being stung or irritated by other coral in the aquarium even when they do not touch or attack each other"